The Michigan State Spartans entered the season as one of the top teams in college basketball, but just how good are they?
When the 2017-2018 season began, Michigan State was picked to be one of the best teams in the country. It should come as no surprise that Tom Izzo has numerous NBA players and appears to be the class of the Big Ten. The Spartans already have some of the best wins in the entire country, and the season is still relatively young. Izzo coached teams don’t usually fully gel until after Christmas — if this team has yet to gel and play to their potential, then the rest of the NCAA should be on alert.
So far Michigan State has beaten Notre Dame, North Carolina, and, in their single loss, they lost to Duke by seven points early in the season. If Michigan State played Duke today, The Spartans would win. The Spartans are loaded with talented players throughout their roster, and their starting five is one of the very best in the country.
Sparty, as they are aptly nicknamed, may run the table in the Big Ten, and it would not be at all surprising if they didn’t lose a single game in the league all year long. They most likely will lose a game because it is hard for any team to go 20-0 in any league, in a normal year this thought would never have even been suggested. The fact that the Big Ten does not appear to be very good this year is going to be to Michigan State’s advantage. Early this season it appears that only Minnesota will give Michigan State a scare in the league.
Following the sixth straight rout over Nebraska, Izzo made it perfectly clear that he was not going to go lightly on anyone. Izzo has a penchant for playing to the competition, just as Nebraska has, a team that seemingly had Michigan State’s number until last year. Michigan State has won each and every game this year by at least 18 points. Often it doesn’t look like the Spartans even break a sweat out on the court.
Once Miles Bridges decided to return for his sophomore year and postpone his lottery pick status for another year, It made Michigan State that much better. What was not expected was the development of Nick Ward. Nick Ward showed he could be a good player last year, but he has made a case for Big Ten Player of the Year good so far. Ward is averaging 14.6 points, seven rebounds, and is a load inside. Ward is also a 70% free throw shooter, which makes defending him even harder.
Perhaps, the most impressive stat for Michigan State — and a stat that is more telling than their offensive prowess — is the ability of this team to play defense. These numbers are gaudy and will require a second look. This year, the Spartans are allowing roughly 60 points a game and only allowing teams to shoot 32% overall from the floor. The Spartans are allowing a combined shooting percentage of 28% this year and 37% from three this year. The Spartans are not fouling and average seven blocks a game. Unless the opponents are most comfortable taking long jump shots, it is going to be a long 40 minutes for every team they play.
There does not appear to be one team in the entire Big Ten who Michigan State will struggle with on the defensive end of the floor. Purdue does have Isaac Haas and Michigan loves to shoot threes, but, even then, Michigan State has shown that it can give even the tallest and most athletically gifted teams a problem. Michigan State is also one of the better rebounding teams I have seen in college basketball for quite some time. They are committed to playing defense and stopping opponents from scoring. This is one of the biggest factors for Sparty this year, as, when the shots are not falling or they are struggling to score, they know they are not going to allow much which will always keep them in a game.
On the offensive end of the floor, opposing teams have tried everything to stop them. Teams have tried a full-court press, a matchup zone, packing the paint, etc. all to no avail, as the Spartans have way too many weapons for a team to overcome. Bridges and Ward are the stars. Cassius Winston and Joshua Langford are the guards who are quick and can shoot the lights out of a building.
Potentially the piece de la resistance for the Spartans is 7’0” Jaren Jackson. He is athletically gifted, can run the floor, rebound, and has exceptional post moves. Plus, he can come out and bury threes. His offensive game makes opposing big men anxious and usually gets them into early foul trouble.
There are no qualms about saying this is the best team Tom Izzo has ever assembled. The Spartans are a legitimate National Title contender and will be the entire season. If not for the seven-point loss against Duke, Michigan State would have been ranked number one this year. They have shown they are a dominant force and even the best teams can’t keep it close. Notre Dame, who was a top-five team going into that game, was beaten every way possible and that game showed the nation that Michigan State was here to stay.
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When it comes time to fill out a bracket, it is always a good idea to pick Izzo. He has proven he will always have his guys ready. The Spartans may enter March as the prohibitive favorite and could be rewarded with the overall number one seed in the NCAA Tournament. It is not unrealistic to say the title runs through the Spartans this year. It appears East Lansing may be title town, at least for this year.